The invention relates to a vehicle provided with an engine at the rear and having an improved clutch system.
With reference to FIG. 1, a vehicle 1 provided with an engine 2 at the rear AR comprises a clutch system 3 comprising a clutch pedal 4, a clutch master cylinder 5 connected to a brake fluid reservoir 6, hydraulic conduits 7 and a clutch slave cylinder 8. The clutch pedal 4, the clutch master cylinder 5 and the brake fluid reservoir 6 are placed at the front AV of the vehicle 1, whilst the clutch slave cylinder 8 is located at the rear AR of the vehicle 1 in the vicinity of the engine 2. The hydraulic conduits 7 connect the clutch master cylinder 5 to the clutch slave cylinder 8, passing below the bodywork of the vehicle and being oriented along a longitudinal axis of the vehicle. Pressure exerted on the clutch pedal 4 by the driver of the vehicle actuates the clutch master cylinder 5 which produces pressure on the brake fluid located in the hydraulic conduits 7. This pressure then causes the displacement of this fluid in the conduits 7, immediately causing the actuation of the clutch slave cylinder 8 to provide the operation of the clutch.
A recurring problem encountered with this type of vehicle is that the hydraulic conduits are placed below the bodywork of the vehicle and that they are directly subjected to the external weather conditions. Thus, when the weather is extremely cold when temperatures may drop below −25° C., said conduits are subjected to significant cooling which is liable to cause the fluid circulating in the clutch system to become more dense. This results in significant damage to the clutch system which becomes difficult to operate, or even completely non-operational, due to the fluid which is not able to move easily in the hydraulic conduits.